Real Change

Somebody said ,- possibly Einstein ? – that it is useless to go on doing over again something that has failed already. But  this is not really true. When  something you do hasn’t worked , the circumstances in which it hasn’t worked may change and in that case this time round it may well work. Depends on the circumstances around you. Demanding negotiations to solve the Israel/Palestine problems will not work now; but if the time comes when  Washington’s economic needs  change and if the EU becomes less stable , then demanding such negotiations may well produce a result. There was a time when no amount of pleas  would produce political talks about N. Ireland. But when governments found their own situation had changed – public opinion began  to go against them – negotiations became possible. And  those who asked for talks were doing the same as they had always done.

In the Catholic Church  demands for  negotiations about change did not work .Now such  demands may get a better response, because circumstances in the Vatican have changed. To give up in despair because there was no response in the past would be a pity. There can be change.  But people must go on demanding it.  At the same time they cannot leave the work for change to the leaders.  Whatever they demand of the leaders they must be prepared to do themselves in so far as  they  are able.  It is not logical to demand dialogue  between leaders when  that may produce only  institutional adjustments – when what we  need is a thorough discussion of our whole intellectual spiritual way of life and what we ought to do about it. Dialogue which   is only   whisperings among the Titans means   nothing for such a life unless Dialogue  becomes normal  all over the place.

New groups are forming  in the Catholic Church as willingly   as did the various “movements”( liturgical, worker-priest, catholic action and such)  in the past  seeking new evangelisation, solidarity , the quest for meaning even. Whether they will be content to reintroduce people into  the  Church for whatever message happens to be there or whether they will help revive the intellectual , spiritual  life of the Church remains to be seen. There is a haunting fear that some of them may be content to  draw people  back into a church and its ceremonies to  hear the same message that persuaded them to leave them . Instead of that , a refreshed life- ideal is  what a tired world needs, the offer of nothing less than an exciting vision of a gracious world  we all  can help create. And which we all need.

And this is very far from repeating in the future what failed in the past. The world has changed.So have we. So has the message.